The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-07-17
A Distressing Season for Thin Women
Who Cannot Wear Light Clothing.
Attentions Showered Upon HalfGrown Mes
senger Boys by Fashionable Women Who
Visit Race Courses for Betting Purposes.
spacial to the Indi. napolis journal.


Heacial to the Indianapolis Journal
NEW YORK, July l6.--To 60 through Fifth
avenue in July is too SEQ strangely diversified
thoroughfare. The wealthy families are all
away and their houses are dark. Many front
doors are boarded over, and pains are taken to
show beyond doubt that the premises are unoc-
cupied Along with these shut buildings are
scattered score of club houses. which con-
trastinely wide open-practically doorless and
sAshless, Tor everything ls made free to the
trance of the faintest zephyr of mitigating air.
The several hotels on the avenue lively spots.
too, for the summer transient business is good
with them, and the guests swarm to the frpnts.
The curious July exposure, however. is of the
extent of boarding houses Fifth avenue.
Some Of the intensely stylish ones are closed. for
their residents have gone TO the country resorts,
but the establishments devoted to the lodging
and feeding of midling prosperous people, prin-
cipally bachelors. are much more numerous than
might be supposed. and on the doorsteps of
these on hot evenings, the boarders lounge with
. sad disregard Of the unwritten Fifth-avenue
law against ever sitting in the vestibule. The
Astor and Vanderbilt residences might be vaults
for the dead for all the life they show. The
block of mansions erected by theta William II.
Vanderbilt and now the homes Of his widow,
two bachelor sons and two married daughters,
are utterly deserted except by q complement of
watchmen. But right across the way is
Roman Catholic orphan asy lum with about
eighth OF an acre OF greensward. It is under
stood that an annual and liberal donation from
the Vanderbilts binds sort Of reciprocal treaty,
under which the young paupers are kept out of
this conspicuous lawn and are sent to play in q
rear yard. But tho summer is evidently counted
ont. forithe little ones daily tumble the grass
before the Vanderbilt windows, from which
there now eyes to look and be offended.
Hot weather has its humor, even in baked
.ity. Passengers on the East-side elevated
railroad whirled closely past the gorgeous
banners that hang on the fronts Of the dime
museums. Each has fat woman pictured, of
course. and in one instance the enormous bulk
of humanity was newly inscribed: "The fat
woman is suffering horribly from the intense
heat. Do not fail to see her. The sight of
lifetime" Doubtless those who find diversion
in the tortured dogs in q pit, or in the maulng
cf pqgilists in prize-ring. would be delighted
6tg the misery of q quarter-ton woman in q tenn
perature of 100 degrees
Queen Kapiolani, of Hawaii, has again been
sort of side-show at Broadway hotel this week,
and some of the few fashionable folks left in
town went to see her. She is commonplace
monarch, though perhaps not more than
Queen Victoria: but she puts on no airs with her
civilized good clothes, and is distinctly amiable
She was industriously tanning herself during my
brief call. and gushing Fifth-avenue girl said
to her: 'T suppose that your Majesty doesn't
find this weather uncomfortable, considering that
your home is in the tropics9"
20 do find it very hot, indeed, y was Kapio-
lani's reply she pulled up the loose sleeves of
her dress little; .'it is almost unbearable"
20 comprehend" gureled the maiden; 'our
kind of clothes seem burdensome to you"
In her unadvised Imagination she pictured
Kapiolani in the CARELESS state Of ijiislander.
The Queen graciously informed her shat Partisan
modes prevailed at the Hawaiian court.
~.
How do women whose extreme slenderness
foroids really thin clothes exist this weather2
My heartiest sympathy goes out this morning to
young lady who went to Saratoga after spend-
ing the night with me. She is tall and slender.
aud always wears tailor-made gowns of great
accuracy of fit and style She is what they call
willowy. Jennie's travelling rig was perfect to
look at She had sling-sleeve wrap of ecru
pongee, material that shakes round and makes
believe be cool. She had 8 pin-head. check-cloth,
tailor-made dress and love OF q travelling hat
Of smoke-colored chip with crimson bird sit
ting on it's ridge pole. surveying the slanting
sides Of straw, that looked for all the world like
slated roof Jennie was tired from her ride,
and Emma and helped her get off her things
I never was SO shocked in my life as when be-
held the condition of that poor creature. AS
think of her on the hot, dusty cars the tears
come into my eyes. The dress waist was lined
with thick twilled silk, and was boned till you
couldn't pus your finger on the lining between
the seams. 1t was padded over up into the
shoulder like the front of a cavalry officers coat
The sleeves had two thicknesses of sheet wad-
ding on the under side and one on top between the
check stuff and the silk lining. 1t was liks look
ing into gas pipe to gaze down those dark little
stuffed sleeves. | laid the waist on a chair, on
its back and its shape remain ed as in iife while
the sleeve stuck up as If it was drowning and
wanted a helping hand. Attacked to her dress
skirt was massive panier to complete tho stick
out If ever q poor rack of a girl suffered for
the sake Of looking we'll it was that unfortunate
Jennie. When We got what there was of her
out OF that harness, she sat down in thin
wrapper to cool her bones by the open window,
and we could hear them rattle as the wind
blew in.
The messengers who place bets for ladies' at
the tracks ought to make good incomes for
boys. but it is altogether possible that they do
not for they are invariably persistent eamb bers.
The fees they get from lucky women are often
times extravagantly generous; and even if the
fair gamblers are not lucky the boys are likely
to come in for something. The regular attend
ants, women mean, have their favorites among
the boys and condescend to smile upon them in
a way that they. would not use toward any
other class of servants. This, perhaps, is
natural enough at the grand stand. where much
depends upon the faithfnln less. promptness and
honesty of the messenger, but it extends much
further. and many . full-grown boy, whose
blushing cheek is dark with coming beard. is
overwhalmed with attentions on the way home.